AZD2171 + Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC, Colorectal Cancer, or Other Cancer Suitable for Treatment With Capecitabine (Non-Small Lung Cancer Patients Closed to Enrollment as 8/9/07)

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following: * Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (closed to accrual as of 8/9/07) meeting 1 of the following stage criteria: * Stage IIIB disease * Patients without pleural effusion who are not candidates for combined modality treatment OR who were treated at centers where combined modality treatment is not considered standard treatment are eligible * Stage IV disease * Local or metastatic failure after prior surgery and/or radiotherapy * Colorectal cancer * Metastatic disease * Considered suitable for first-line therapy with capecitabine * Other tumor types * Suitable for treatment with capecitabine * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for advanced or metastatic disease * Incurable by radiotherapy or surgery * Clinically or radiologically documented disease * No tumor marker elevation as the only evidence of disease * No necrotic or hemorrhagic tumor or metastases * No untreated brain or meningeal metastases * Patients with previously treated stable brain metastases (by radiography or clinical exam) are eligible provided they are asymptomatic and do not require corticosteroids PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Performance status * ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy * At least 12 weeks (colorectal cancer patients) Hematopoietic * Hemoglobin adequate * Anemia allowed provided patient is well compensated with no evidence of recent bleeding * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * No overt bleeding (i.e., ≥ 30 mL/episode) within the past 3 months Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * ALT or AST ≤ 2 times ULN (5 times ULN for documented liver metastases) Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR * Creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min * No proteinuria \> grade 1 Cardiovascular * Resting systolic blood pressure ≤ 150 mm Hg AND/OR resting diastolic blood pressure ≤ 100 mm Hg (in the presence or absence of a stable dose of antihypertensive medication) * Mean QTc ≤ 470 msec (with Bazetts correction) by ECG * LVEF \> 50% for patients with prior anthracyclines/trastuzumab or cardio-toxic agents * No untreated or uncontrolled cardiovascular condition * No symptomatic cardiac dysfunction * No poorly controlled hypertension * No history of labile hypertension * No history of poor compliance with antihypertensive medication * No history of familial long QT syndrome Pulmonary * No clinically relevant hemoptysis (i.e., ≥ 5 mL fresh blood) within the past 4 weeks * Patients with only flecks of blood in their sputum are eligible Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective (double-method for females; barrier method for males) contraception * No prior allergic reaction to drugs containing Cremophor EL® (NSCLC patients \[closed to accrual as of 8/9/07\]) * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 (NSCLC patients \[closed to accrual as of 8/9/07\]) * No dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency (colorectal cancer patients) * No history of severe hand-foot syndrome after treatment with fluoropyrimidines (colorectal cancer patients) * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer or other curatively treated solid tumor * No active or uncontrolled infection * No other serious illness or medical condition that would preclude study participation PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No prior antiangiogenesis therapy Chemotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior single-agent non-platinum-containing chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) for metastatic disease (NSCLC patients \[closed to accrual as of 8/9/07\]) * No more than 1 prior single-agent non-platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease * At least 6 months since prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy * No prior taxane therapy (NSCLC patients \[closed to accrual as of 8/9/07\]) * No prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease (colorectal cancer patients) * No prior capecitabine (colorectal cancer patients) Endocrine therapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior corticosteroids Radiotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 21 days since prior palliative radiotherapy except for low-dose non-myelosuppressive radiotherapy with approval * At least 6 months since prior adjuvant radiotherapy Surgery * See Disease Characteristics * At least 14 days since prior major surgery Other * Recovered from prior therapy * At least 14 days since prior epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor therapy * Concurrent oral anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin) allowed provided INR is strictly monitored * No other concurrent investigational therapy * No other concurrent anticancer therapy * No concurrent prophylactic pyridoxine (vitamin B\_6) for hand-foot syndrome (colorectal or other tumor type patients) * Use of pyridoxine after the onset of hand-foot syndrome allowed at the discretion of the physician